Hamburg: Several workers killed in scaffolding collapse

Four Bulgarian workers have died after scaffolding collapsed at one of Hamburg's biggest construction sites. The workers were allegedly working on an elevator shaft.

A fire brigade spokesman in the northern German port city of Hamburg on Monday said four workers had died after scaffolding gave way.

Another worker at the site was reported to be critically injured. Initially, the fire department had said five workers at the site had been killed before revising the figure down. 

What we know so far

"Several people are buried under the scaffolding and are considered missing," a fire brigade spokesperson said, with rescue operations said to be "running in high gear." 

 "It is not immediately clear what caused the scaffolding at the construction site to tip over," the spokesperson said.

The workers were believed to have been building an elevator shaft when the collapse, from the eighth floor down, happened at about 9:10 a.m. local time (0810 UTC/GMT).

The city's urban development authority later reported that the victims were all Bulgarian nationals. 

The accident happened at the Westfield-Hamburg Überseequartier — one of the largest construction sites in Hamburg, where a shopping mall, restaurants, offices and hotels are being built.

The district is part of HafenCity, a former port area on the Elbe River that has seen a once scruffy area redeveloped in what is considered Europe's largest urban regeneration projects.

Some 60 rescue workers were deployed to the scene of the accident. The whole construction site, including some 700 workers, was evacuated.